A French waitress working in Islington says she is trying to stay strong after two of her friends were killed in the Paris terror attacks.

Mélanie Lambert, who works at Le Sacré Coeur restaurant in Theberton Street, is mourning Anna Pétard Lieffring, 24, and Anna’s sister Marion, 30, who were shot and killed while dining at Le Petit Cambodge on November 13.

Terror group Isil has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have left 129 dead after shootings and explosions in five locations across the French capital.

“I try to stay strong,” Mélanie, 24, of Hermitage Road, Manor House, said. “But until the funeral is over, you have no idea whether you’re doing well or not.”

She and Anna met aged 13 at high school.

“Anna was always smiling,” she said. “She had joie de vivre. She had troubles in her life, but she was always above them. She stayed strong. We have to stay strong for her.”

Mélanie escaped the terror when her visit to Paris, as she returned to London from her parents’ home in Loir-et-Cher, was cancelled. She heard of her friends’ deaths on Saturday evening just before celebrating her flatmate’s birthday.

“I want to go back to Paris now,” Mélanie said. “I need to go back to see my friends, my family, those closest to me.”

She said most French people living in London however, will want to stay in London to be safe.

She added that she will continue working as a waitress despite the terrorists targeting restaurants and bars.

“I don’t feel in danger here. I feel safe in London. My mother doesn’t want me to come back to Paris because she is afraid for my safety there.

“I’ve called France lots over the last few days and everyone is scared.”

Referring to last week’s football match in which English players and fans sang the French national anthem, she said: “I really appreciated the solidarity of the English.”

Anna and Marion Pétard Lieffring were the only children of Erick and Sylvie Pétard Lieffring, who own a butcher’s shop in the central Loir-et-Cher region of France.